lenses with great character/rendering-dont care how sharp

BrianS · Joined: 03 Aug 2013 Posts: 92

An Uncoated 1938 Carl Zeiss Jena 5cm F1.5, at F4 on the Leica M8.

for the original Poster: you would have a field day in my hobby room looking through MANY lenses on the EP-2. Everything from a 4cm F1.4 Biotar up through a C-Sonnar. 7-element Raptar 51mm F1.5 thrown in. Someday I will make that one into RF coupled M-Mount.

BUT until then, best to post a sample image of the rendering of a lens that you are looking for. I sold a Jupiter-9 to a movie producer, he just had to have it for portraits. Based on the 7 element pre-war Zeiss design, rather than the 5 element post-war lenses. The rendering lost something with those elements. SO- you have a massive list of lenses from this thread, could be the index of Neblette "Photographic lenses".

It would be helpful to have an idea of "the look" that you like.

caspert79 · Joined: 31 Oct 2010 Posts: 3220 Location: The Netherlands

I used to have a Yashica T4 compact film camera. It's Carl Zeiss Tessar 35mm, f/3.5 lens (T* coated) was magic. Colors were very special and contrast was fabulous. I'm not sure if these are typical characteristics of a Tessar design lens, or maybe it was the coating?

Mos6502 · Joined: 20 Jun 2011 Posts: 960 Location: Austin

BrianS · Joined: 03 Aug 2013 Posts: 92

There are some interesting Raptars out there- the 35/2 Raptar for the Fastax mount is quite good, would work well with your format. I converted one to Contax mount using a J-12 focus mount. I have some digital shots on the EP2- will look for them. It is not a Tessar.

Found it...

35/2 Raptar, wide-open on the Olympus EP2.

nick_cool · Joined: 04 Mar 2013 Posts: 5

Tokina 28mm f2.8 is small, inexpensive and nice lens.

But the ones I love are the Fujinons,

More pics here (most of them made with MF lenses):

www.flickr.com/photos/nick_cool2000/

DR.JUAN · Joined: 08 Feb 2013 Posts: 661

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

kds315* · Expire: 2021-03-09

Here are a few (some unique ones) in use...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kds315/sets/

kuuan · Expire: 2014-12-26

my recommendation would be Takumar f2/58, Auto Takumar f2/55, Super Takumar f1.9/85

Billou · Expire: 2015-05-19

For me, Re Auto Topcor 58/1.8, Vivitar Series 1 28/1.9, Mir 24N 35/2, Schneider Kreuznach Xenon 50/1.9.

GeorgeSalt · Joined: 09 Feb 2013 Posts: 336 Location: Norfolk, UK

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

The Pantars were triplets. The 45mm version fitted to some Contaflex and Contina models had an interchangeable front element and could have 35mm or 75mm add-on lenses fitted, which were made by Rodenstock.

There was a Pantar 2.8/50 for the Icarex, also a triplet.

There are plenty of other triplets for SLRs, the Meyer Trioplan 2.9/50 is excellent, the Ludwig Meritar 2.9/50 is very good too. Steinheil made the Cassarit 2.8/50 as well. The most common is the Pentacon Domiplan 2.8/50, but I'd try to find any of the others rather than the Domiplan, which is poorly made and highly variable in image quality, excellent Domiplans do exist, but so do awful Domiplans and I suspect the latter are much more common.

Mos6502 · Joined: 20 Jun 2011 Posts: 960 Location: Austin

It think the trioplan and the meritar are probably the best triplets you can find in 50mm. The Icarex Pantar is one of the harder Icarex lenses to find. The steinheil triplets, in my experience at least, were all pretty awful even by triplet standards (only in 50mm, I have a 105mm cassar on a folder which is brilliant). The Iscotar is actually quite good for a triplet, but the earlier isconars, and westars are not quite as good at least in terms of sharpness.

The domiplan is ok, but the meritar renders better imo.

caspert79 · Joined: 31 Oct 2010 Posts: 3220 Location: The Netherlands

I owned a Konica AR 55mm macro lens that delivered very contrasty pictures with popping colors.

extra|ordinary · Joined: 06 Apr 2012 Posts: 11

Given you intend to use the lenses on the BM Cinema Cam, the 16mm sized sensor limits the usefulness of some of the longer focal lengths.

That said, two of my favorite lenses under 50mm, purely for the quality of rendering:
-Carl Zeiss Jena 35/2.4 Flektogon (M42 mount) - Wonderful lens! Although a bit difficult to focus accurately.
-Carl Zeiss 45/2.8 Tessar (C/Y mount) - This lens is really overlooked in the Contax line up! I love this lens to death.

My only concern with using either of these for video is that they are both pretty high contrast.

A third oddball recommendation would be the highly overlooked first generation Sigma 28/1.8 (the smaller lens with the 58mm filter threads). Purely on rendering, this lens is pretty remarkable. It's usability in video applications might be limited however, due to a noisy focus ring. Furthermore, this lens has a really unique color signature that may prove difficult to tame.

Pancolart · Expire: 2013-11-18

mfkita · Joined: 29 Jul 2007 Posts: 222

Found this at a pawn shop for $8...

Not the sharpest, but it's a lot of degrees of fun I can afford...

DR.JUAN · Joined: 08 Feb 2013 Posts: 661

Looking for character, I prefer the sacrifice of some sharpness in favor of not, or less, CA.

In the triplets quid, I must say that the pantar was never a "looking for" lens. Only the cheapest way to have acces to the Icarex cam.

The tessar for her was perhaps one of the best version of these gem of lens.

If I don´t remember badly, the radionar wasn't bad at all. I use it with a plastic retina RF, may be S2 model.

Another point, is the triplets whom focus rotating only the front element, is not the best version.

Good luck.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

The 'Tessar' for the Icarex is actually a rebadged Voigtlander Color-Skopar. I've read several times that it's the best 'Tessar' of that era.

Rawit · Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Posts: 39

You mention you are going to use it on the BlackMagic camera, so primarily for video. Make sure you get a lens with an aperture ring you can remove the clicks from. Most of them are ball bearing I guess, and I've read on this forum that it was do-able on the Konica's. Check for guides on how to do that before you buy a lens.